Timepiece setting mechanism



Dec. 10, 1946.

E. F. cARL sTRoM 2,412,493

'IIMEPIECE SETTING MECHANISM Filed April 25, 1945 l5 6 0 l e I FIG. 3

| II l i [0 I 5 5' I7 @1011 INVENTOR.

ELIS E GARLSTROM AT TY.

Patented Dec. 10, 1946 TIMEPIECE SETTING MECHANISM Elis Fedor Carlstrom,Lancaster Township, Lancaster County, Pa., assigncr to Hamilton WatchCompany, Lancaster, Pa.

Application April 23, 1945, Serial No. 589,864

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates to a timepiece setting mechanism and is designedso that through the use of a single part the operations now accomplishedthrough two or more parts are completed.

In previous construction it has been found necessary to use two or moreparts for moving the clutch member from winding to setting position.These parts are such that the pillar plate must be machined to give theparts operating room. It is necessary to bore and thread holes for thescrews for each of these parts.

With the grouping of these parts into a single spring lever severaloperations in the assembling of the watch are dispensed with.

It is, therefore, the purpose of the present invention to provide asingle one piece spring lever to serve in shifting the clutch of atimepiece mechanism from winding to setting position.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide aspring lever serving to operate the clutch of a timepiece mechanism anda notched post engaging one end of the spring lever which will maintainthis lever in one position, the inherent spring of said levermaintaining it in the other position.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention resides inthe novel arrangement and combination of parts and in the details ofconstruction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood thatchanges in the precise embodiment of the invention herein described maybe made within the scope of what is claimed 1without departing from thespirit of the inven- The invention is illustrated in the accompanyingdrawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan View of the one piece spring lever;

Fig. 2 is a partial view of the pillar plate shov ing the mechanism insetting position;

Fig. 3 is a similar View showing the mechanism in winding position.

Referring more particularly to the drawing the invention consists of aspring lever I formed of an upper section 2, a spring section 3 and alower section 4.

The upper section 2 is provided with a threaded hole 5 and a stemengaging pin 6 while the lower section is provided with a clutchengaging pin 1. The lower section 4 is formed with an accuratelymachined face 8 and a projecting point 9.

The spring lever I pivotally mounted on the usual setting lever screw 5threaded into hole 5 is supported by the pillar plate In and has theupper section projecting across the stem l I which is connected to thecrown I2, and the lower section projecting across the clutch I3 whichmoving longitudinally on the square portion I4 of stem II serves toconnect the crown with either the winding or the setting mechanism ofthe timepiece.

Referring to Fig. 3 of the drawing the watch is shown in windingposition with the spring lever shown holding the clutch member I3 inengagement with the clutch engaging teeth I5 of the sleeve member I6.The sleeve member I5 is integral with or attached to the winding pinionI! which connects through a gear to the barrel arbor. It will thus beseen that the member I through its inherent spring action constantlyurges the clutch I3 into engagement with the clutch engaging teeth I5 ofthe winding pinion I! and so maintains the mechanism in windingposition.

Referring to Fig. 2 it will be seen that when the stem I l is pulledoutward by means of the crown I2 the pin 6 riding in the groove I8 ofthe stem II moves the spring lever about the pivot screw 5 forcing thepin 1 and lower section 4 of the spring lever downward, disengaging theclutch I3 from the clutch engaging teeth I 5 of the winding pinion I1.This movement downward is arrested by the engagement of the lower teethI9 of the clutch I3 with the setting wheel 23 of the watch. The movementof the spring lever I about its pivot screw 5' moves the end 8 of thelever downward and to the left bringing the point 9 into engagement withthe notch 2i of the pin 22 which notch is machined accurately to receiveand hold the point 9 and lower section of the spring lever I in settingposition unless a movement of the spring lever through movement of thestern I I releases the point 9 from engagement with the notch 2|allowing the inherent spring action to return the lever to windingposition. The pin 22 is frictionally held in any manually adjustedposition desired.

This provides a single spring lever which serves to hold the clutch inengagement with the teeth I5 under normal conditions but which, whenmoved to extreme position through the action of the stem II, permitsengagement of the point 9 with the notch 2| and holds the clutch inengagement with the wheel 20 until positive movement of the stem returnsthe spring lever to original position.

What is claimed is:

In a timepiece, a pillar plate, a manually operable winding and settingstem rotatably and slidspring lever pivotally mounted on said pillarplate, said lever being formed with an upper section, a central sectionand a lower section, a pin in said upper section engaging the annulargroove in said stem, a second pin in said "lower section engaging theannular groove in said clutch, a notched manually adjustable postmounted in said pillar plate and in the path of the lower section ofsaid spring lever, said spring lever being formed with an accuratelymilled end and a point adapted to engage the notch of said post, wherebymovement of said stem along a longitudinal direction will swing saidspring lever about its pivot, forcing the point of the lower sectioninto engagement with the notch post simultaneous with the engagement ofthe clutch with the setting lever.

ELIS FEDOR CARLSTROM,

